Chapter 75:
Distortion Dilemma
Me, Dawn, Lyra, Stig and Florence ran back to Route 214 to where all the wilted trees lay, having been untouched for ever since Tangrowth attacked. It was a sad look, seeing a once lush walkway turned brown and lifeless. But it also revealed the path that we found.
"Me and Dawn will go" I said. "Our Pokémon know Rock Climb. You three stay out here for suspicious activity."
The three nodded. "We'll work out a way to regrow this foliage" Florence said. "Just… be careful…"
Once again, the heavy fog covered a lot of the hidden body of water. Well, to be fair that body of water was on top of a cliff that could be scaled. Not that we could see the top because, remember, fog.
I sent out Mamoswine and Dawn sent out Lickilicky.
"We need to be prepared for what's up ahead" I told her. Neither of us knew what lay beyond us. Remember, few had been to Sendoff Spring, especially in recent years. Mamoswine and Lickilicky scaled the rocky cliff face and took us to the top.
The water was bluer than that of Lake Verity, Valor or Acuity, perhaps combined. This didn't seem like a spring that would be a good jacuzzi though; it looked polar cold.
There was a path going around the spring, not that it was easy to see because it was foggy. No, neither of us had Defoggers on us.
Or did we?
"I just remembered!" I said, sending out Yanma. "I brought this little guy along with us! It'll evolve into Yanmega with the Exp. Share. Okay Yanma, Defog!" Yanma flapped its wings faster than usual which, for a Yanma, is really saying something. The dense fog cleared up; our way could now be seen.
"Finally, we can see two feet in front of our noses" Dawn said, just as she noticed someone going into a cave in the side of the spring. It was the only entrance there, so it would make sense to go. "Lucas, I don't think we're alone…"
Didn't matter too much because we were going there anyway. But even if this is a place where humans rarely step foot in, I could see what she meant about someone else being here. Maybe a monk that has guarded this placed for centuries. Maybe a local tribe that has been here in secrecy. Or maybe, someone else had also discovered this place.
To get to the tunnel, we needed to Rock Climb down another wall. The next step of this task; check inside.
Inside the cave were some ruins. However, unlike Celestic Ruins or Spear Pillar, the Ruins here were creepy. Little light made it in and the carvings on the wall depicted a Pokémon far more menacing than Dialga and Palkia. It was large, black and had giant wings. At least, I thought that's what I thought they were.
"We can't stop" Dawn said. "I swear I saw someone, or thing enter here. We are not leaving here until we find it."
In the middle of the room we were currently in was a large pillar. There was some text on it.
"…Past three pillars… to the sleeping… before 30 is surpassed…"
We had no idea what that meant, so we had to go with our gut and try random rooms.
Throughout going through all the rooms, I asked Dawn what that Pokémon could be, and if iy could potentially be the 210th.
"Well… I think I know. It might be Giratina. As we saw, Dialga and Palkia created time and space respectively. However, there was a third one created named Giratina. Unlike Dialga and Palkia, Giratina was violent, uncontrollably so. In response, the creator banished Giratina to an alternate dimension called the Distortion World. It's an area where time stands still and is very hard to reach, but goings on in the Distortion World can affect this world. It's possible that this place is Turnback Cave, a place where the separation between both dimensions is weakest, so it might just be possible to get to the Distortion World from here."
A place where time stands still sounded impossible to think about. But after all that I had seen on my journey, I 99% believed it to be true.
We went through the multiple rooms and found the third pillar. This meant that the next room was the location. There was a room with a 4th pillar.
"This might be the place" Dawn told me.
"WILL YOU KEEP IT DOWN?!" came a voice from the other side of the pillar.
"Sorry" I said.
My heart sank.
Dawn was right.
We were not alone.
But it was the company we had that scared me when an old Scientist poked his head round the pillar. His face turned to shock when he realised saw us.
"CHARON?!" we both shouted.
"Even after Team Galactic has fallen, you two won't keep your Probopass sized noses out of my business!" he yelled.
"This is the Champion you are dealing with now. Turn in now and your days as a fugitive will be over" Dawn said.
I knew fully that he wouldn't just give up. I slowly walked round to where he was and saw a black swirling hole. Similar to ones seen in space, but I could actually see the other side of it. It was dark, sort of purple with floating platforms. That was all I could make out. But I had a pretty good guess at what it was.
"Charon, is that the Distortion World?"
"I will gladly answer your question you stubborn squirt. Yes, it is. Too bad you two won't be around to see it!"
Me and Dawn nodded at each other. It was time to take this whack job down.
"Porygon-Z, Tangrowth! I choose you!" Charon shouted, sending out his two Pokémon. Me and Dawn sent out Empoleon and Infernape respectively.
"Infernape, use Fire Spin!" Infernape created a vortex of flames around Tangrowth. Fire Spin prevents escape from battle, even if this was a double battle where we both used two each anyway.
"Porygon-Z, Tri Attack!" Porygon-Z formed a triangle, then fired it at Infernape for direct damage. After that, Infernape was paralyzed.
"I'll cover for ya" I told Dawn. "Empoleon, use Hydro Pump!" Empoleon fired a deluge of water at Porygon-Z. It didn't do much.
"Tangrowth, Sludge Bomb!" Tangrowth fired a poisonous ball at Infernape. It was almost down. "Now Porygon-Z, use Zap Cannon!" Porygon-Z created a black ball of electricity then shot it at Empoleon. It missed because of its low accuracy.
"Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Empoleon spun beak first into Tangrowth for a Critical Hit. It was down. Infernape couldn't move due to paralysis.
"Porygon-Z, Shadow Ball!" Porygon-Z fired a Shadow Ball at Infernape, finishing it off for good.
"Infernape!" Dawn yelled, with me assuring her that we had this.
"Empoleon, use Drill Peck!" Empoleon used Drill Peck on Porygon-Z. One more would do it.
"Porygon-Z, use Zap Cannon!" This one also missed.
"One more Drill Peck!" With that, Porygon-Z was history.
I hi fived my friend as we recalled our battered partners.
"Charon, you have nowhere to go" I told him. "Don't even think about jumping through that whole, lest you end up like Cyrus."
Charon just grinned. "Well, I'm clearly smarter than that buffoon aren't I. I actually know what I'm doing!" With that, he jumped headfirst into the hole.
"Come back!" I shouted, jumping through as well.
"LUCAS!" Dawn yelled.
I fell through the other end with a thud on the red stony ground. My arms were scraped from the blow, it was hard to get up.
I looked to see the hole I had just come from to see Dawn on the other end.
"I'm going to find Charon" I told her. "Text me through the Pokétch if this portal shows signs of closing and I will back away."
Dawn nodded and I looked away. The Distortion World. I mentioned the floating platforms, but some were floating on the side. Waterfalls littered the area, but very were going down. Many were starting at the bottom and going up to an upside-down lake. Others were going from side to side and looked like a body of water just floating in the air. It looked like an M.C. Escher painting.
My wonder was cut short when I realized the task at hand; find Charon and leave with him. But how would I get around?
"Empoleon, I choose you!" I said. "Okay, this might seem crazy, but we are going to try and Surf the waterfalls." I got on a body of water with Empoleon, and Empoleon darted full speed into the waterfall. Sure enough, it darted up the floating body of water. Or, was it down? I didn't know.
Once I reached the end, I realized that I was standing on my side. There was an element of surrealist beauty to this world, but all that didn't matter when I remembered that Giratina resided here to. If it found me then I was probably toast.
I continued to Surf up, down, sideways, slantways, longways, backways, squareways and such and such around the waterfalls.
I also hopped along the smaller floating platforms. I really didn't want to fall off; I dread to think what could happen down there. Thankfully, the platforms were not easy to miss so I just hopped from one after the other, well not without a worry. Au contraire, my concern levels were through the roof. Though can you blame me for saying that this place was sort of fun? It's like a hopscotch game where you could potentially die!
Eventually, I reached Charon at a dead end, which here was a path that just ended and if you went off it, you would fall into oblivion; he seemed lost. Now he was also about to be cornered.
"Charon you mad man!" I shouted.
Charon turned around, mad grin on his face but with clear frustration to. "You just can't leave me alone can you, and that has led you to here."
I told him there was no point in a battle; I've made it clear twice that I'm stronger than him.
"Well, maybe in battle. But… maybe I have a new ally?" From his white labcoat, he pulled out something I never thought I would see again. Horror struck me as he held a string of red crystals; a Red Chain. "I've been keeping this secret from Cyrus for a long time now. I suggested that Giratina can help us with our plans, but he shut down the operation, and look what happened to him. Only Saturn, my dear nephew, was willing to go along with it. So, he kept this a secret from Team Galactic and gave it to me before Team Galactic headed to Mt. Coronet."
I knew Charon was a madman, but this was insane. "Charon, put down the Red Chain. This isn't a good idea."
A loud screech from the distance interrupted our conversation.
"Just what I wanted." Charon looked into the dark distance. There was a silhouette. A long, black silhouette. It came into view to show a grey, black and red Pokémon with golden claws. It floated there, staring at us menacingly.
"That must be it" I said. A Pokédex scan confirmed it; the 210th Pokémon of the Sinnoh Dex.
Giratina
210
Ghost/Dragon Type
Renegade Pokémon
Region of origin: Sinnoh
22'08" (6.9 m)
1433 lbs (650 kg)
It was banished for its violence. It silently gazed upon the old world form the Distortion World.
Legendary Pokémon
"Charon, get away" I told him. "We can get out of here safely. DON'T PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK TO FUEL YOUR SELFISH DESIRES!"
Charon refused to listen. He slowly went up to Giratina. "Porygon-Z" Charon shouted, sending it out. "Use Zap Cannon!" Porygon-Z fired a ball of black electricity at Giratina. It was a hit, paralyzing Giratina. "Everything is lining up perfectly!" he said. He threw the Red Chain at Giratina. When it latched on, Giratina's eyes turned a ferocious red. It started thrashing about wildly.
"Charon, what have you done?" I simply asked.
"Fulfilled Team Galactic's REAL ambition!" he yelled. "Now Giratina, listen to me. I will free you from this prison so we can wreak havoc on the Sinnoh region! It'll be ours to control!"
Giratina didn't listen. Honestly, I wasn't sure if it even could. Instead, it came charging into Charon. He fell back as I came to help him up. "Giratina, listen to me!" However, it couldn't. It was dead set on trying to destroy us.
"Charon, stop. Only a Red Chain created with the combined power of the Lake Guardians can control Giratina, not a weak one like this. We have to get out of here, so we need to form a truce."
I stuck out my hand. Charon looked over at Giratina, who had spotted us. "Okay, but we need to hurry!" I helped him up and started our escape.
We hopped along the floating platforms as Giratina approached us. We came to one of the waterfalls and I sent out Empoleon. Charon sent out Floatzel and we used Surf, just as we noticed Giratina disappear into a black hole.
"Just keep going!" Charon yelled. "It's Shadow Force, it could re appear anywhere."
Running sideways, we kept an eye out for potential spots where Giratina could attack. We saw the hole in the distance. I pointed to it as we jumped, ran and Surfed along to the platform where it was.
"Okay, you first" I told Charon.
Charon nodded as he jumped through. I was about to, when right from behind me, Giratina appeared from the hole. It came charging towards me.
"JUMP!" Dawn shouted from the other side. I gulped, and leaped through the whole, Giratina following me. I emerged from the other end as Dawn came up to me.
We looked in awe as Giratina started to squirm through the hole to where we were. However, it started to change. It grew legs and it's multiple wings turned into two big black ones. It also got roughly bigger. So big that the Red Chain fell to pieces.
Giratina was calm again.
"That… was close" Charon said panting. "What have I done? Why did I think it could work?"
Giratina stood proud. It bent down as if to thank me.
"Dawn, this is it! The 210th Pokémon! Scan it quickly!" Dawn did just that.
With that, the Sinnoh Pokédex was complete.
"Now what?" I asked. "What to do with Charon?"
We all decided that our priority was getting out of there. Giratina went back into the black hole as we all made our exit, Charon with us.
As we got back to Route 214, we were greeted by multiple police cars. Looker was beside one of them.
"Well well well, Charon of Team Galactic. Thought you could get away in another dimension aye?"
Charon closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I can explain it all in custody." He held out his hands as Officer Jenny put them in cuffs. "I just want to meet my dear Saturn again. He's the closest thing to not only a son, but a friend, that I've ever had."
Looker nodded with a smile, as if forgiving Charon. Now of course no one could do that, but he completely understood. Charon voluntarily got in a police car, then told us to come up to him through the window.
"I'm truly sorry" he said. "I'm not sure who will take command of Team Galactic now, but whoever it is, please promise me this. Show no mercy! They are the ones doing wrong!" He closed the window, then he was driven off.
"So" I told Dawn. "Next priority, let's show Professor Rowan our complete Pokédex! To Sandgem Town!"
When we got back to the Lab, Professor Rowan looked through our Dex's. Me and Dawn just stood there nervously. He wasn't easy to trick, but we didn't cheat or anything.
"Even as Champion" I said. "I feel like this is my biggest achievement on this journey. Going on an adventure is not about trying to get somewhere, it's what you experience when trying to do so."
It seemed like forever before Professor Rowan looked up at us. "Congratulations, you have seen all Pokémon that Sinnoh has to offer."
The two of us gleamed.
"But" he continued. "If you think that there are only 210 Pokemon out there, think again. As well as Sinnoh are the regions of Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. They have species that Sinnoh doesn't have and a lot of those species are found on the Battle Zone. Now, I presume that you want to see more of what Sinnoh has to offer?"
Do I?!
Professor Rowan went to a computer and plugged in our Pokedex. "You have gone beyond the Platinum Dex to, the National Dex! You can now see entries from Pokémon not found in the Sinnoh region."
This is amazing! "Dawn, we need to head to the Battle Zone!"
"Well, I'm not sure" Dawn told me. "Maybe later. For now, I've been requested by Stig, Florence and Lyra to help hide Sendoff Spring again. I think that's a bit more important to me. But I know that Barry is over at the Battle Zone, so go ahead!"
I got out the Town Map. The Battle Zone was an island to the north-east. According to the Map, I can get there via a boat from Snowpoint City.
And with that, my journey to find all the Pokémon of Sinnoh is complete.
But there are many more adventures waiting, so stick around!
